And so, when Elmer returned to the fire, he had the entire bunch listening, their eyes round with wonder, as they learned what had been discovered, and also of the bright plans their chums had arranged looking to the capture of Diablo.
Only Ginger was evidently disturbed. He scratched his head as he listened, as if he could hardly believe what he saw had been of this earth, and the idea of Elmer being so rash as to want to try and make a prisoner of the Evil One gave the ignorant negro a cold shiver.
Doubtless he would make sure to find a snug place to sleep that night, where nothing could get at him. His mind was still filled with foolish notions concerning that "chariot of fire" in which he might be carried out of this world into the Great Unknown.
CHAPTER XII.
LAYING A GHOST.
"IWELL, Elmer," remarked Mr. Garrabrant, the next morning, as he came out of his tent and met the young scout leader face to face, "I must have slept unusually sound last night, for the alarm failed to awaken me!"
"There was no alarm, sir," smiled Elmer.
"Meaning that we did not have the pleasure of a second visit from Diablo, the educated monkey, is that it?" asked the scout master, pleasantly.
"Yes, sir," the boy went on, "Diablo must have secured enough rations in his first raid to last him for twenty-four hours. But Mark and myself do not think of giving our job up yet awhile. We expect to catch a likeness of our hairy visitor, even if the trap fails to work, and hold him a prisoner. I suppose Colonel Hitchens would be very glad to have the beast back, if it turns out that this is Diablo?"
"I"m sure of it, and as he is a wealthy man, no doubt he would willingly pay a round sum to those who would return his pet," Mr. Garrabrant declared.
"Oh! we were not thinking of that, sir, I give you my word," declared Elmer; "but possibly, if we did happen to succeed, the gentleman might be willing to do something for poor Abe in return for our restoring his pet."
The scout master looked keenly at Elmer, and then thrust out his hand impulsively.
"That was well said, my boy," he remarked, with a little quiver in his voice. "I am proud to know that you feel that way toward the unfortunate. And I give you my word, if you are so fortunate as to capture Diablo, I"ll convince Colonel Hitchens that it is his _duty_ to do a lot for Abe and his little flock. That boy is made of the right stuff, I"m sure, and ought to have the advantages of an education. I"m going to see that he has his chance."
"Yes, sir, just to think of a kid not over six years old being able to set a muskrat trap, and actually take skins. Why, I know a lot about the little varmints, and I give you my word, sir, they"re pretty sharp. It takes a bright boy to outwit an old seasoned muskrat. He showed me quite a lot of skins he had cured, of course under his father"s directions."
"And then that girl, Little Lou--think of her doing all the cooking for the family ever since her mother was taken away?" continued the gentleman. "She"s a darling, if I ever saw one. I grew quite fond of her, and mean to see more of them all. But I ought to be laying out the program for to-day"s work."
"What are we to try to-day, sir?" asked Elmer, who, as second in command, had privileges in talking with the scout master that none of the other lads dared a.s.sume.
"Well, as it promises to be a warm day, we might try the swimming test for one thing," replied Mr. Garrabrant, thoughtfully. "At the same time there is that feat of landing a big fish with a rod and a small line, the said fish being of course an active boy, who does his best to break away. While we"re at it, we may as well go through our usual formula whereby anyone who has been nearly drowned may be resuscitated again.
And last, but not least, we can have Dr. Ted give us his talk on first aid to the injured. He will get back in good time if he leaves after lunch for the Morris cabin."
"I think Chatz is waiting to speak to you, sir," remarked Elmer, who had been noticing the Southern lad hovering near for some little time, looking queerly in their direction.
"Is that so?" remarked Mr. Garrabrant. "Now I hope he hasn"t been seeing more of his hobgoblins. That is about the only weakness Charles seems to have. Otherwise I find him a very sensible lad. If only he could be cured of his belief in the supernatural it would be a good thing."
"Well," laughed Elmer, "some of us would be only too glad of the chance to cure him. Shall I go away, and let him have an interview, sir?"
"No, remain, and hear what Charles has to say. It may be I shall need your services. This time the tracks of the ghost may not have been trampled out of sight, and you can give a guess at its character. I never in all my life knew of so many queer happenings inside of so short a time."
The scout master beckoned toward Chatz, and obeying the mandate the Southern boy came quickly forward.
"You wish to speak with me, Charles, I imagine?"
"Yes, sir," replied the other, with a frown on his brow.
"Has something happened again to disturb you?" inquired Mr. Garrabrant.
"Yes, sir."
"Last night, I presume, since you would have spoken before, had it happened yesterday?" the scout master continued, quietly.
"Last night it was, sir. I saw IT again!" remarked Chatz, appearing to swallow something that was in his throat.
"Oh! you mean that mysterious white object which appeared to you on the other occasion, and seemed to a.s.sume all the characteristics of a supernatural visitor? In other words, Charles, your pet ghost?"
remarked Mr. Garrabrant.
The boy flushed, but held his ground.
"Of course," he said, slowly, "I understand what a contempt you have for any such idea, sir; and indeed, I only wish it could be shown to me that this is only some natural object, and not of the other world. I"d be too glad to know it. I hate to think I"m given to such ideas, but they seem to be a part of my nature, and I can"t help it, try as I may."
"Well, perhaps we may be able to a.s.sist you, Charles," returned the genial scout master, laying a hand on the lad"s shoulder in a way that quite won his confidence. "Now tell me what you saw, when and where, also what it looked like."
"I think it was in about the same quarter as before, sir. My watch happened to come late in the night this time, in fact just before dawn broke. I heard again that blood-curdling sound, a plain "woof"! and raising my head I could just make it out in the darkness. It was white, as before, and it moved! Then all of a sudden it seemed to vanish most mysteriously."
"Well, did the other sentry see anything, Charles?" asked Mr.
Garrabrant.
"We had arranged it all between us, sir, Ty Collins and myself. And he will tell you, sir, that he saw just what I did," replied Chatz, earnestly.
"That sounds as though you might have seen _something_, then," smiled Mr. Garrabrant. "And Elmer, you were so successful in picking out those other tracks, suppose you try again."
"Shall I go now, sir?" asked the other, readily.
"I would like you to. If you find a trail, you might follow it up a bit. Perhaps Charles would like to accompany you."
"Yes, sir, I would, if you didn"t object," replied the Southern lad, quickly.
"Very well," nodded the scout master. "Report to me when you are through, Elmer."
So the two boys went away together. Some of the others, seeing them bending down as though examining the ground, made a move as if to join them, but Mr. Garrabrant was watching, and called them back.
He saw Elmer, followed by the wondering Chatz, walk slowly away, his head bent low, as though he were following some sort of trail.
And the scout master laughed softly to himself as he muttered:
"I fancy Charles is about to have a little surprise, now that Elmer has found a trail to follow. Because, as a true believer in ghosts, he must realize that anything that leaves traces behind can hardly claim supernatural qualities."
Twenty minutes afterwards, shortly before breakfast was ready, the two boys came back again. Chatz was smiling in a queer way, but Elmer looked like a sphinx.
The latter, obeying a beckoning finger, hurried over to join Mr.
Garrabrant.
"Unless my eyes deceive me, Elmer," remarked the gentleman, with a quizzical expression on his handsome face, "you"ve been up to your old tricks again, and finding out things. How is it, do you plead guilty to the charge?"